Modern Air Defense Radars

All-weather surveillance radars capable of
operating round the clock have always been the only primary source of air situation data
for the air defense forces and air traffic control systems, and it is anticipated that
they will retain the role in the foreseeable future.

The Kasta-2E2 radar

The Radio Engineering Research Institute, a federal
research center, is the first national developer of surveillance, guidance and target
tracking radars.

Radar systems that have been developed at the Center of
late meet the most stringent requirements, and the advanced technical and technological
solutions they incorporate make them very promising for many years ahead.

The main products developed at the Center are primarily
the Kasta-2E2, Gamma-DE and Gamma-S1E radar systems.

The Kasta-2E2 radar is a mobile automated solid-state
system which can detect targets, measure their distance, azimuth and height, as well as
track the targets and furnish their motion parameters to operators. The radar can handle
such targets as fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, remote-piloted aerial vehicles, cruise
missiles, including those flying at extreme-low altitudes, on the background of intense
ground and cloud clutter. The radar can detect 'stealth' and moving sea-surface targets.

The radar can be incorporated in various rapid deployment
systems, both military and nonmilitary, in service with the air and coastal defense
forces, frontier guards, and for air traffic control.

The Gamma-DE radar

The radar comprises the following three stations, each
being carried by its own KamAZ-4310 cross-country truck: an equipment station, an antenna
station and an electric power generating set.

Provision is made in the radar system for a remote
operator's workstation which can be set up at a distance of up to 300 m from the radar.
The antenna can be erected on a lightweight transportable mast, 50 m in height, thus
making it possible to detect low-flying targets at a longer range.

Kasta-2E2 is an advanced automated radar, featuring high
reliability, ease of operation and maintenance, and having no world analogs in aggregate
performance.

Gamma-DE is a mobile 3-D solid state phased-array radar
designed for use as part of automated and nonautomated air defense and air force control
systems. The radar can also be used for air traffic control.

Operating in the decimetric-wave band, the Gamma-DE radar
can detect a broad range of modern air threats, including high-flying low-signature
air-launched missiles, in heavy ECM and natural noise environments.

The radar comprises:

The Gamma-S1E radar

- phased array mounted on a turntable;

- data processing, presentation and transmission
equipment;

- control equipment;

- interrogator;

- electric power generating set;

- spare parts, tools, accessories and test equipment.

In operation against air threats, the Gamma-DE radar is
noted for increased target detection potentialities (in elevation and height), allowing it
to detect and track targets on ballistic and aeroballistic trajectories. The radar
features high immunity to noise, high automation level, as well as low operating costs.

Gamma-S1E is a mobile 3-D phased array radar designed for
use in automated air defense and air force control systems, in various nonautomated
systems, as well as by the rapid deployment forces. This radar can be used to furnish
information to automated control points and to civil aviation traffic controllers.

The Gamma-S1E target acquisition, designation and
guidance radar is capable of detecting and tracking a broad range of current and future
air threats, including air-launched missiles, in ECM and natural noise environments.

The radar system incorporates:

- the M1 truck carrying the antenna turntable,
transmit-receive equipment, and a built-in radio interrogator;

- the M2 truck carrying the control equipment and the
data processing, presentation and transmission equipment;

- electric power supply system mounted on trailers towed
by the M1 and M2 trucks.

The radar can be outfitted with remote control equipment
consisting of four operator workstations. The remote equipment can be set up at a distance
of up to 1 km from the radar if signals are transmitted over a fiberoptic line, and at a
distance of up to 15 km if a radio link is used for the purpose.

Gamma-S1E is a highly potential radar system featuring
excellent noise immunity and high level of automation of the target acquisition, dynamic
parameter measurement, operation control and monitoring processes.

Presently, radars have become extremely vulnerable to
precision-guided munitions (PGM), which are currently on the upswing of their development,
and which can use various physical principles to determine radar contrast.

Consequently, the air defense forces faced the problem of
maintaining a continuous and effective electromagnetic field under intensive application
of PGMs against emitting radars.

The Radio Engineering Research Institute in cooperation
with several other companies have developed an effective system, dubbed Gazetchik-E, to
counter antiradar missiles.

In operation, the system cuts off radar emission for a
short time in response to commands coming from an independent antiradar missile detection
system. Moreover, it activates deception and jamming devices to thwart the systems that
direct the antiradar missiles outfitted with infrared, TV and active radar homing devices.